Ron Paul campaign is gonna die

[Universe Prince]

The political magazine The New Republic has published an article on BT's favorite criticism of Ron Paul, the stupidly racist articles from the various forms of newsletter with Ron Paul's name on them. Ron Paul is still trying to treat this as something that will go away if he just dismisses it. I like Ron Paul, and I believe he's not the author of the objectionable material. I can even understand to a point why Paul is not inclined to rat out the responsible parties. But let's face facts. His answers are simply not going to satisfy the vast majority of people who read about this matter. His campaign is going to stall and fail the way it started, with no respect, because Paul isn't saying much more than that he takes moral responsibility for not paying more attention to what was sent out in his name.

Damn.

I was hoping that if Ron Paul did not get nominated, his campaign would at least be the vanguard of a shift in the Republican Party to a serious commitment the ideas of small government and protection of individual liberties that Goldwater pushed and that Reagan and Bush (the younger) campaigned on (even though neither followed through on that). But the way things are going, that ain't gonna happen. Particularly if Huckabee gains more ground. This is all disappointing, to say the least.

Once again, we will get to choose between the "big government is mother" Democrat and the "big government is father" Republican. The American "children" apparently like being the objects of condescension.

[terra]

Prince,
I was wondering what you had to say about this article? I figured that you were a Ron Paul fan, I am sorry that you may be dissapointed. I don't like him at all...he talks good if you do not think about what he is really saying. Most young people only hear "end the war" and they don't hear about what else he is for. And after all...he is a republican, he could have run as an independent, but he didn't.

But any way...hi and how ya been?

terra

[Religious Dick]

Oh, I don't know. So far, I'm not seeing much about it in the liberal press, nor the conservative press, nor the mainstream press. In fact, the only press the screaming about it so far is the "cosmopolitan libertarian" press such as Reason and Cato, who never really liked Paul anyway.

There are definitely times I would like to see a few of these "cosmopolitan libertarian" types get their oh-so-Enlightened teeth knocked down their oh-so-Tolerant throats.....

[Universe Prince]

I don't like him at all...he talks good if you do not think about what he is really saying.

Actually, I think you have it backwards. To most folks Ron Paul sounds crazy unless they really think about and investigate what he talks about. Paul is not a man who comes off well in the soundbites because many people dismiss what he says without knowing what he is actually talking about. I'm not saying I think everyone would agree with him, but there are people better educated than I am who believe Ron Paul makes more sense than you and most others give him credit for making. His analysis of the economic situation, foreign policy and the like are based on sound research. You may not like Paul's solutions, but to say that he doesn't know what is talking about is an untrue and therefore unfair criticism of the man.

And after all...he is a republican, he could have run as an independent, but he didn't.

And if he had, he would be getting even less attention than he does now. Frankly, Ron Paul is running on the ideals that, when I was a but a young lad growing up, I was taught were the fundamental ideals of the Republican Party: smaller government, more power for the states, protection of individual liberty. These have proven to be the opposite of the ideals of the Republican Party, of course, but that Ron Paul is considered such a fringe wacko in the Republican Party is a shame I think. If there was any more proof needed that the Republican Party and the Democratic Party are only marginally different, this would be it.

But any way...hi and how ya been?

Hiya. I'm well enough. I'm doing the school thing again, going to see if I can actually turn this education into making money on a regular basis. Christmas was good. I finally got the Criterion Collection edition of Seven Samurai that I've asked for the past few years. Watching that DVD set is pretty sweet. Great print of the movie. Just beautiful.

How was your Yule? How is your land and your family?

[Universe Prince]

Oh, I don't know. So far, I'm not seeing much about it in the liberal press, nor the conservative press, nor the mainstream press.

They never took him seriously anyway. This just gives them more reason to not do so.

In fact, the only press the screaming about it so far is the "cosmopolitan libertarian" press such as Reason and Cato, who never really liked Paul anyway.

Well, I don't know about Cato, but Reason has been writing favorably about Paul. They don't agree with him on everything, but he was being plugged there and fairly well defended on most issues not immigration related. And I do not think the criticism I've seen at Reason over this is unfair. Ron Paul's response to this seems weak, and the whole episode makes easier the efforts of power-hungry liberals and conservatives who want to dismiss and minimize libertarians as a fringe bunch of loonies to whom attention should never be paid. Now, on top of everything else, any serious libertarian candidate or spokesman will have to prove he isn't secretly the worst sort of racist. The libertarians really don't need this kind of sh--, but it is there now and will be there for a long time. I still prefer Ron Paul to all of the other candidates, but can't say I'm at all pleased with the way this is playing out.

There are definitely times I would like to see a few of these "cosmopolitan libertarian" types get their oh-so-Enlightened teeth knocked down their oh-so-Tolerant throats.....

I think you're being unfair. The folks at Reason are not being intolerant or unenlightened when they recognize the nature of the political situation in which the Ron Paul campaign and libertarians in general exist.